Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out is a game that was created for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is part of the Punch-Out game series that started on the Arcades. The game itself was released in 1987 and was later re-released in 1990 just under the name Punch-Out.
You play as Little Mac fighting your way to the top for the prime objective. To do so, you must defeat every boxer that is placed in front of you. Going through the circuits, the goal is to have the dream fight, which is against Mike Tyson.
To win the boxing match, you must either score a Knockout or a Technical Knockout or win by decision. In order to win by decision, you need to accumulate a score of 5,000 points. To obtain a knockout, there are two ways that it can happen. One is by chance knocking them out in a single round, which can be challenging to do except for the fight with King Hippo. An alternative route would be to knock out your opponent a total of six times between three rounds. Ideally, the alternative route is not one to go for due to what can appear to be dragging out a fight.
Beginning on the journey, the route starts at the minor circuit. In terms of opponents, it starts on a basic level. Think of it as a means of starting a journey and taking that first step. Due to a victory, you move up the ranks to eventually become the #1 contender. Defeating your opponent, who is the champion, will lead to becoming the champion of the circuit.
Completing the minor circuit will lead to the next circuit, which is the major circuit. Again, the pattern is still the same. It is a matter of progression. While there are more opponents, it is still the same theme as beforehand. Defeating the champion in the circuit will lead to becoming the champion directly.
There are a few boxers that are in the world circuit that will be a rematch. After defeating them and going through the championship, you will become the world champion. The cut scene is different as it is showing up as a newspaper headline.
After the cut scene, you will see a passcode that you can use. Be sure to note it down as it will be necessary. You will be fighting Mike Tyson. For the first 1:30 in the fight overall, you will need to be extra careful as one hit can lead to a knockout. If that happens, the fight will be over.
The consequence of losing a match is an area that must be explained. Multiple aspects could very well happen. One is that there is no rank loss, and it could be an immediate rematch. Ideally, if a loss is to happen, that would be the best possible outcome. While not ideal, it is not as bad as the last option. The absolute worst one to get is the one where the game is over, and you must start all over. As mentioned earlier, if you have the passcodes written down, it will make it easier to go to the circuit you last left off on. A good example of the worst case would be the final fight with Mike Tyson.
Overall, the game is still fun to play despite the number of years that have passed. It is a classic game that is always worth playing. It is a shame that this version has not shown up on the Virtual Console or even the Nintendo Switch Online. Due to legal reasons or likenesses, that may be the reason.
